By EMIL EKIYOR | Founder & CEO INNOPOWER INDY
Now in its 5th year, InnoPower Minority Business Week’s (IMBW) main priority is to increase the competitiveness of Black and Brown students, business owners, and professionals by uniting local and national business owners, entrepreneurs, and social entrepreneurs, leaders in the non-profit and private sectors, donors, and impact investors to network, share experiences/ideas, and make connections to address development challenges in Black communities in Indiana.
We are at a critical moment where communal mindfulness and momentum from corporate Indiana are coming together to create a more resilient and inclusive economy by supporting diverse small businesses and professionals across trades and geographies. Inclusive economies are better economies. By providing opportunities for entire communities to participate, inclusive economies lead to more extensive and sustained economic growth. By nature, they are also more diverse, which makes them more resilient, able to weather and rebound from economic disruptions like the one we’re experiencing today.
Accelerating economic productivity in our Black communities starts with the people most affected. We must create opportunities in these communities and get people excited about pursuing opportunities while ensuring everyone has access.
InnoPower believes speaking on the Black experience with a different tone and optics is more important than ever. The IMBW creates a platform to celebrate Black Excellence with The Indiana Black Rising Stars Central Indiana Black Excellence in Education and Innovators on the Rise Awards. These awards showcase Black Excellence from individual triumph, overcoming all obstacles, the history of innovation,
Conference Awards and Events
1. Our Black Rising Stars Awards will celebrate the top two Black students in the Class of 2023 from high schools in Central Indiana (over 60 students). They will be recognized at the awards event and featured on WishTV and the Indianapolis Recorder front page — Talent Attraction Starts Now. Like every year, we know our top football, basketball, and baseball student-athletes in Central Indiana; we will begin to identify our top Black graduating seniors and track how many of them return to Indy after graduating college and help them build their social capital with local corporations.
2. Our design sessions can also be customized for one of your local talent or entrepreneur development initiatives. We will bring in community members, students, local organizations, and other stakeholders for a three our design sprint around the identified challenge.
3. Our African American Excellence in Education awards celebrate African American educators from around Central Indiana for their performance in the classroom. Their principals and school districts nominate the educators.
4. The Black Innovators Awards celebrate Black professionals, business owners, or community members that have taken an innovative approach to wealth creation or solving problems in our community
5. The weekends with professional networking sessions with the NFL Alumni and other professional groups in Indianapolis.
Visit www.IMBW.org to register for the 2023 InnoPower Minority Business Week.
